404 Media noted that Google accidentally collected childrens’ voice data through the Gboard microphone, leaked carpool users’ trips and home addresses (Waze), collected license plate info from Street View, and made YouTube recommendations derived from deleted watch history.
In one case, a Google contractor was responsible for leaking an early look video of one of Nintendo’s games, Yoshi’s Crafted World, in 2017. In another incident, a person could modify customer accounts on AdWords and thus manipulate affiliate tracking codes for ads.
The 404 Media article is behind a paywall.
Here’s the nonpaywall version: https://archive.ph/29gJU
Yea, but they also do some great journalism and if you can, support them.
We don’t have many decent journos these days and they need to eat.
Normalize paying for things that add value to your life.
Also, it’s a bit ironic that people might be concerned about privacy but unwilling to pay for something. The alternative is usually privacy invasive ads/tracking/selling user data.